SUPPLY, N.C. -- A Southport police officer was killed Sunday morning in a crash while driving his cruiser.
Police say 29-year-old Officer Jason Freeman was killed in the crash around 5 a.m. in the 1200 block of Stone Chimney Road in Supply, which is about 15 miles west of Southport.
The cruiser left the roadway and struck a ditch.
Freeman was prounounced dead at the scene.
Southport Police Chief Gary Smith released a statement: "It is with a heavy heart that I regretfully inform you that this morning, at approximately 5am, Officer Jason Freeman of the Southport Police Department, was killed in a single vehicle wreck in the area of 1269 Stone Chimney Road in Supply. Officer Freeman was not on duty at the time but was, however, in his patrol vehicle."
Officials say Freeman was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. They say speed may have been a factor in the crash.
Smith said it is still unclear why Freeman was driving his cruiser while not on duty.
The State Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.
Smith said Freeman was married and had been a Southport police officer for less than a year.